Lark and Callum were adorably opposite. I loved the charming, Dolly Parton-esque vibe Lark brought to the grumpy, mortician energy of Callum. They brought out each other’s best and it was genuinely enjoyable to read how they developed through the story, both individually and as a couple. The spice was good, vanilla and dependable. The spice didn’t seem forced or over the top, which worked well with the story.
I absolutely LOVED the Demi representation in this book. It’s the first time I’ve seen it directly acknowledged in a book and it was a genuine joy to read how Lark handled it. It was also refreshing to see Callum’s handling of it as well. It could have been mentioned once and never mentioned again, but not only was it mentioned with his activity on the DemiDate app, but within his dating behavior throughout the novel.
This was my first novel by Ivy Fairbanks and I enjoyed her writing, only selfishly wishing they had officially gotten together sooner so I could read about their happily together for longer. But that’s just an issue with me and certain RomCom tropes. Sometimes it did feel as if tropes were happening for the sake of having that trope in the novel, but it was still a fun read.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Fairbanks’ future works and what other Ace representation she might incorporate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ivy Fairbanks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a Texas girly with a lifelong stutter, I absolutely loved this one! Ivy Fairbanks did such a great job depicting Callum’s stutter and it made me feel so seen and like my own stutter isn’t something everyone else hates as much as I do. Particularly when he asks what if his child has a stutter, I’m also pregnant right now and that really hit home. Lark is such a wonderful character and I really enjoyed everything about her. There’s a little mouse that plays a significant (in my eyes) role in this story and I hate to use the word love again, but I really loved when she made an appearance. I can’t wait to own this book and re-read it when I need a little pick me up.

Romance tropes: widow, grumpy/sunshine, fish out of water, friends to lovers, love thy neighbor, marriage plot

While filled with romance tropes, "Morbidly Yours" manages to make these old tropes feel new. After losing her husband in a tragic car accident 18 months ago, Dolly Parton-lovin', cowboy boot wearin' Lark is ready for a change. She ups and moves to Galway for a 9 month contract animating a movie about Grace O'Malley. Unable to read Gaeilge, she assumes the quaint, ivy covered domicile next door is an inn--but it's actually a funeral home run by a very sexy, shy and dour mortician, Callum.

The beginning was a bit bumpy and definitely read like a debut novel, but it found its footing and stuck the landing in the end. Lark and Callum felt like original yet familiar characters, and their chemistry was believable. There's a lot of buildup and yearning, which I adore. The villain could have used some work, but an attempt was made to add some depth, even if the motivations behind their actions were unclear. The workplace drama was almost too real, though!

Overall a very good debut, and I'd read more by Ivy Fairbanks.

"Morbidly Yours" is a delightful blend of romance and humor, set against the unique backdrop of a funeral home in Galway, Ireland. Callum Flannelly, the charming and sweet protagonist, has to marry before his 35th birthday to inherit the family undertaking business. Enter Lark Thompson, a vivacious American cartoon creator who agrees to help him navigate the dating scene.

I loved Callum. His sincerity and subtle humor make him an endearing character. The banter and dynamic between Callum and Lark are delightful, adding a refreshing spark to the story. Their evolving friendship and growing mutual attraction are beautifully portrayed, making their journey engaging.

However, the constant "will they, won't they" dragged on a bit too long for my taste. I felt the story would have flowed more naturally if Callum and Lark had figured out their relationship sooner.

The side characters are very loveable, adding depth and warmth to the narrative. They provide a wonderful balance to the main storyline, making "Morbidly Yours" a charming read with a unique setting and memorable characters. Ivy Fairbanks has crafted a heartwarming tale that will leave readers smiling. Four stars!

I was lucky to discover Morbidly Yours as an indie title, and rereading it as an ARC has been such a joy. I loved it the first time I read it, and even more the second. Cal is one of my favorite MMCs, probably because he is a hot and awkward demisexual, and that's not something you see often in romances. His desire for love and connection are so relatable, and I just adore him. I loved the Irish slang. I think I picked up on it more with the second read since I've watched Derry Girls lol. Also, all of the mortuary and grim reaper puns are hilarious. I think you will love Morbidly Yours if you enjoy emotional romcoms as this book does deal with grief in many forms.
I'll be posting my review to Amazon and Instagram after the release. Can't wait to share more about this book, and thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of Morbidly Yours.

I LOVED the characters in this book! I don't tend towards romance because of the obvious tropes that are found, and while they were predictable in this book it still kept my attention. I even shed a few tears while reading this book. The career choices for the main characters were so interesting, and I loved the little insights we go on those careers and on living in Ireland as well. If you are a lover of romance you will adore this book! It does have some open door moments, but they are written so they can be easily skipped over for a sensitive reader.

A little too cheesy for my liking and I didn't really care for the relationship. It was a very average book for a romance.

Thank you, Putnam and NetGalley for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own!

This was adorable! Navigating grief, healing from loss, and opening your heart after hurt, MORBIDLY YOURS is equal parts playful and poignant, as satisfyingly spicy as it is sweet. I dare you not to fall in love with Lark and Callum, an endearing, quirky grumpy/sunshine pairing who couldn’t be cuter.

3.5 rounded up to 4 because it was a very original story and I did enjoy the descriptions of Ireland and getting to know the culture.

The story focuses around Lark who is a young widow leaving Texas for a fresh start in Ireland. Callum is her neighbor who also happens to be an undertaker in an odd predicament. I don’t want to give too much away but this is a beautiful story for both characters to find themselves. This was a bit predictable but beautiful nonetheless.

I would definitely read more from Ivy Fairbanks!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fantastic romance from the first page. Unique, I'll give you that but a great story with wonderful characters, the perfect amount of steam, and a heart warming story I thought about afterwards. Have shared with my friends and encouraged them to read it too! BRAVO!

An absolute joy of a book! Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

I read this book back when it was independently published and adored it, so to be able to receive this ARC with even more scenes only furthered my love for this story and the characters, it's so great to see this book get traditionally published!

The characters and their relationship absolutely stand out for me. Lark is such a great, strong, bubbly female lead and it was so fascinating to learn about her background and her career. And Callum was such a sweet male lead, his career path in particular was really fascinating to learn about throughout the story. Together, the two are just the cutest, I love the introvert/extrovert, stoic/sunshine relationship dynamic, and I think these two bring out the best in each other, I also loved the friends to lovers aspect of their relationship!

The cast of side characters was super fun, I hated the antagonist though, but my strong hatred for him definitely highlights how good and compelling the writing was. The plot line of needing to get married to keep the family business was silly, but it allowed for so much fun and a few ridiculous situations to occur which I loved.

Overall, the second read through was just as good, if not better, than my first go around. This book will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the first books that got me back into reading, and I highly recommend this cute, lighthearted, slightly spicy read to anyone looking for their next romance book! 4.5 stars!

Absolutely brilliant! Morbidly Yours spoke to my soul! Ivy Fairbanks debut novel is a winner! I literally could not put this book down. The emotions that this story provoked were genuine. I laughed, yelled, and sobbed like a baby. Grief is a difficult subject but Ivy shared it beautifully. The character progression is spot on, loved the location, and a well paced storyline! Excellent work Ivy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was so good?! Like surprisingly good!

The premise is unique but honestly I just fell in love with these characters and love their love. Wholesome and also gets you in the feels just the right amount.

callum and lark.. callum and lark… CALLUM AND LARK!!
friends to lovers is such a tough vibe to tackle and this book DID IT!! i absolutely loved every single aspect of this book. from the writing to the story line to the background of the characters everything just flowed so well. and can we talk about callum’s studder? because, so cute. i love how lark was able to just kinda understand callum in a way, right off the bat. they had the cutest dynamic of irish to american banter and getting used to one another’s quirks. this book gave off such a cute little opposite attract, tackled love after loss, perfectly captured friends to lovers, and was such a heartwarming vibe. i absolutely adored it. 5 stars. would absolutely read again and recommend!!

Morbidly Yours was a departure from my usual books but in a good way. This one has depth and wades into grief beautifully!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I really wasn't sure what to think of this book at first. A grumpy mortician with a stutter and a bubbly animator from Texas creates an unusual pairing that somehow works. She moves from texas to ireland to start fresh after her husband's death but death seems to follow her when she meets her next door neighbor who happens to run a funeral home. He's shy and finds feeling attraction really difficult but he must find a wife before his 35th birthday if he wants to keep his home and business according to his grandpa's will. She helps him open up and figure out what he wants in a relationship and he helps her with her grief and being there. The tension and slow burn friends to lovers had me wanting them to make a move already. It was nice that she will always honor her dead husband and not forget to move on, and in the end he found the relationship he was looking for. Overall very cute and a different kind of love story. Grief isn't linear.

Okay so to be very honest I was initially not interested in this at all because for some reason I thought it was gonna be like monster romance (I genuinely do not know why) and I could not get behind the concept of a zombie love interest. I am so glad that I was wrong because this was delightful 😂

Their friendship feels instantaneous in a way that doesn’t feel contrived. The fact that, besides each other, any other person in that same position (extroverted, undertaker) would give them hives makes it ten times better. Lark is adventurous and bold and (mostly) open, and Callum is cautious and quiet and a little reluctant, but they are so wonderfully paired. Neither of them seek to change the other, and are so immediately accepting of each others self-perceived flaws that it catches them both off guard.

Callum is so sweet, earnest and willing to step out of his comfort zone for a bit of Lark’s sunshine. Lark is supportive of his hesitance while also giving him space and opportunity to see what he’s capable of if he wants to be. The fact that it’s Lark’s interest that helps him define (without labeling himself) his demisexuality is so sweet as well - she doesn’t judge him or push him, simply learns how to make it more comfortable for him.

Lark is warm and bright and also disarmingly open with her affection. Her immediate and genuine desire to support and love the people she chooses to have in her life is so lovely and wholesome. She is hard on herself to a fault but sees the worth of everyone else unrelentingly. She helps create situations that allow Callum to safely explore the world outside the one he’s created for himself, but also fits herself into it when it makes him more comfortable.

I just adored them and this and I’m so glad NetGalley suggested it to me specifically 😂

Just finished "Morbidly Yours" by Ivy Fairbanks and I’m hooked! I really enjoyed how Lark helped Callum come out of his shell, while Callum supported Lark in her grieving process. The workplace drama was wild (Seán, ugh) and the side characters added so much without stealing the spotlight. The snarky banter between Lark and Callum was everything, with jabs flying back and forth. I really appreciated the pronunciation guides for Irish/Gaeilge—those dirty sayings, whew! I may need to listen to the audiobook now. This is an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to see what Ivy writes next!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to read this when it was indie published but just never got a chance so when I got this arc I was so excited!! It was absolutely wonderful. It was sweet and charming and sexy and oh so morbid. There is nothing like a girl literally running from all things death and grief related and right into the arms of an undertaker. And with all the cutesy things, Lark dealing with her grief was heavy and honest and written well.

I LOVED CALLUM SO MUCH. There is nothing I love more than an Irishman just trying to save the family business. He was sweet, and HOT! He wanted her SO BAD. Like if anyone is the definition of down bad, it is CALLUM. He was even trying so hard to move on, move past it, but he quite literally said nothing could make me forget her, yeah OKAY WE GET IT.

His sexuality and his stutter were both written well and so much care. Lark didn’t ask questions, if anything she sought out answers for herself so she could help him, which was SO SWEET. She took him as he was and I loved that for him so much!!

If only she could have let him do the same for her… she was grieving HARD, she was on her grief tour, as she said herself! I wish it would have taken her a LITTLE less time to realize that she could still grieving and also love Callum. It made perfect sense, and it was done WELL, don’t get me wrong. It was just so tough watching her struggle for so long! Which isn’t also to say I didn’t love her, because I DID! Because despite the crappy and life had thrown her, she was still such a sunshine girl and I loved that so much. And she DID really love Callum. She was just hurting more.

I cannot wait to be back in this little universe for the rest of the series!! I think it’s only going to get better!!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Lark moves to Galway for an animation project she doesn’t expect to find herself next door to a funeral home. She definitely doesn’t expect for the tall, handsome mortician to be her first friend in Ireland. She most certainly doesn’t expect for those friendly feelings she has for him to start getting tingly. Lark is not staying in Ireland and she is not planning to fall in love ever again. So what is she going to do with the world’s sweetest undertaker who finds himself in need of a wife?

This was a delightful read in no small part due to the setting and the utterly wonderful hero. Callum was so lovely that if I thought Galway was home to men of his ilk, I’d be on the next plane. Lark sometimes veered into manic pixie dream girl type of overly quirkiness for me but I still couldn’t help rooting for her to figure her stuff out. Wonderful secondary characters added extra warmth to this read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..